Co extinguishing system



April 13, 1937.

c. F. SMITH 2,077,158

CO2 EXT INGUI SHI NG SYSTEM Filed May 5, 1933 Patented Apr. 13, 1937 co2 EXTTNGUISHING t Carlisle Smith, Elmira, N. Y., assigner, by

"fmesne assignments, to American-LaiFrance VFoa'mite Corporation, a corporation of New i York Application May 5 i933 Steel. bl- 6594i!! 4 claims. (Crise-11) The invention relates to fire extinguishing systems using CO2 or-like compressed gas as the extinguishing medium, the object being ,i PIO.- vide improved facilities for checking the weights 5 of the individual flasks of the system so as 'to guard against impairment of eiciency as the result of leakage.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a lil-flask battery or system incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 a plan thereof;

Fig. 3 a side elevation of a mechanically operated 3ask system;

Fig. l a section illustrating the operation of the flask Valve; and

Fig. 5 a partial cross section illustrating the method lof weighing individual flasks.

The battery may be composed of any number .30 of flasks, marked l, set in a row or rows on the floor o r any suitable base. Each i'lask, it will be understood, contains liquefied CO2 confined therein under a pressure approximating 800 lbs.

at normal temperatures. The weight of each such flask, normally approximates 18D pounds or up- -Ward when charged. The gas is confined in them by valves 2 Xed in their heads and Which may be opened in Various ways to discharge the contents as presently pointedout. EachV ask is connected through its valve lwith a common manifold 3by` meansof a connector tube' 4 made of reenforced rubber hose or equivalent' metal tubing of Y ythe freelyiiexibleftype and which is considerably longer than the distance from the Valve tothe point of connectionlto the manifold so that it takes the form lof a loop, and preferably a horizo'ntaldoop as `indicated.` Also such tubes are preferably connected to the manifold by couplings `orunions entering lthe-manifold at an acute angle 40 tothe 'axis'thereo as Vindicated moreplainly in Fig. 2, 'thus avoiding any sharper bending of the flexible Aconnectors than they vwill accommodate Without strain and also disposing all of them in low-down positions about level with the valves, the manifoldbeing alsolocated preferably at or just above the level of the valves, and being attached inflxed position on the adjacent stationary support. It Will be understood rthat all the connector tubes and the manifold are normally empty or under atmospheric pressure until the iiaskvalves are opened and that the manifold discharges through a pipe or system terminating in one' ormore restricted putletsor nozzles located at the hazard, but not shown in the drawing. The valves may be of any desired type and are opened in any suitable or usual way, being herein indicated for'co'nvenience as of the kind 'adapted to be operated'either pneurnatically or nflecl'iar1"-v ieauy, as 'desiiedg'and which is' weuihew in the artil` Brieiiydescribed, Asuch `a valve 'comprises 4a pistonfi carrying adiscl'opener inthe 'form ci a' tubular cutter 6, Whichis adapted to befor'ced doti/fn by theL piston throughthesealing' disc I of the flask-'thereby opening the disc and valve, venting the contents of the latter through the iriterior of the cutt'erandthe"outlet 8 of the valve into lthe connector 4. When this Valve is oper-V ated pneumatiauy the pressure gas (Q02) is auf mittedfto the 'space above the piston', reaching such space'through the connector tube and through the boreof the'tubular" cutterV and thus depresses thelatter.- When operated'mechanically,"mecl1"a nical force is applied 'to the top" ofthe pistn bythe unobbed plunger s, 'byhajndjqri by a 1ever',"orftne1ik e`. *T i l* Inthe pneumatic system of Figs. 1 and 2 ,the two iias'ksat the lright Vhand end' of thebattery are the'so-Kcalled pilotflask's and are arranged to be penedmechanicaHy," by' a pull onthefbell cranks Il) Whichare connected to the 'pull cable H by a' spreader `rod lI ljaloo'sely swivell'ed infthe ends of cranks and so that the cable will operate both. .{I'his pull 'cable 'I l' Ais carried on'a suitable sheave :mounted on' the yfixed guard structure Yand repr'sents"the` batteryreleasefdevice` by' which the compressed gas is caused to issuejfrom'rthe flasks'intolthe discharge manifold. ',Thegas'ipressurefreleasedfromv thesepilot iiasks vextends throughthemanifold andthe several'flexible connectors Aill fto' `the piston chambers of' the several valvsuforcing the cutters therein through the sealing disoas" described, thus discharging practically simultaneously'the Whole battery into the "Instead of the Ipneumatic operation just described' all ofv fthe"'vali/jesV can' be "equipped With plungers 9 andl bell cranks rIll' as' indicated in'Fig. 3, the ypiston being functionless Vin such case or omitted. The bell cranks' Il]v are all connected jto `a ymain cable Il by which theycan beconcie dently operated to discharge the nflasks andthe main cable, as Well'as the cablesections 1 2 conlnecting successive bell cranks, are flexible so that, as in the case of Figs. 1 and Q2, lallA physical conhectionbe'tveen the flasks and the ,kedlyf'located structure is of freelyiiexible gnature'.

both'for'ms alrigidguard 'structure'is provided ektends falfongside or vfadl34561117 or arnd' the rdw of eynriders; m1t cani tey made of angle-iron posts I3, or equivalent, appropriately fastened to the floor, with horizontal longitudinal rails I4 removably thumb-screwed or otherwise fastened to such posts. Wire mesh or grating may be applied to this framework, if desired to form a more complete protective housing for the flasks. The side rails I4 are conveniently also made of angle-iron, and in double row batteries the two rows,.are divided or spaced apart by longitudinal center rails I5, and it is desirable in some .cases that the flasks in each row be spaced j from each other by cross rails I6 and when these are present they are preferably removably held on pins or other appropriate seats on the rails I4` and I5, so that they can be readily removed and I replaced.

No matter what the construction of the flasks and valves, they are prone to leakage under the high iiask pressure, and leakage is difficult to detect because the flask contents cannot be seen.`

The only way the user can be sure sufficient gas is present is by periodically weighing the individual flasks which, with prior constructions has been a tedious task likely to be procrastinated or overlooked on that account. The new construction is organized to permit weighing to be done easily and accurately withoutl disconnecting the iiasks either from the manifold or from the means whereby the power is applied to them for actuateing the disc-openers when such power is applied other than pneumatically. Each flask is vertically movable upwards within the protecting guard structure to the extent of at least several inches or sufficient for weighing purposes. The length and disposition of 'each flexible tube connector are such as to permit this motion and the weight or resistance it imposes thereo, I have found, is relatively small and also a constant, substantially equal for all, so that it can be included in the tare without producing any resulting error in the-determination of the amount of gas in each flask. The cable sections I2 also, in the mechanically operated system, are flexible and can be treated in the same way. The guard rails which space or protect the asks contribute no appreciable friction, since they engage only the smooth-sided flasks and indeed it is not necessaryT that the guard be incontact with the flasks at all, or at least during the weighing process, its purpose being primarily protective to prevent the flasks from being tipped or bumped over, which would throw their weight onto the flexible connections to the injury of the latter. In the mechanically operated system as in Fig. 3, the guard, and particularly the cross-rails I6, hold the flasks upright against the pull of the operating cable. It is so located, also as to serve the further purpose of a support for the weighing scales to rest upon. Such scales may be of any appropriate type and as shown are composed of a simple scale beam I'I mounted on a portable pedestal I8, which is adapted to be seated on or fitted to the guard rail I4 or to a seat I9 applied for the purpose thereto. The pedestal may be secured in place, if desired, by a set screw 20. One end of the Scale beam is forked and knife-edged to engage under a ledge or equivalent projection provided" on the flask or its valve, and shaped to receive and carry the whole weight of the valve, while the other end is calibrated and carries the bob 2l. It is not necessary that the scale-beam be applied directly to the valve, as indicated in the drawing, although it is well to have the ask hanging while being weighed, for it can also take the flask weight by being applied elsewhere or at or under its base, since the guard structure is in any event present to avoid accident to the flexible connectors. By subtracting the known constants from the weight indicated by the bob, the weight of the CO2 can be quickly arrived at and with sufficient accuracy as I have ascertained, and it will be apparent that this can be done without in any way disturbing the system or impairing its reliability for operation even in the event of a re occurring during the y Weighing process.

I claim:-

1. In a system of the kind described, a row of flasks of compressed CO2 or like gas having flask valves normally confining the gas pressure therein, a horizontal discharge manifold extending adjacent and parallel to said valves and a series of Vflexibleconnector tubes connecting said respective valves to said manifold, each said tube being substantially horizontal for a length materially greater than the distance separating said manifold from the row of valves and having a degree of vertical flexibility suited to accommodate the individual weighing of its flask while connected to the manifold.

2. In a system of the kind described, a row of flasks of CO2 or like gas having fiask valves ncrmally confining the gas pressure therein, a plurality of tubes arranged in horizontal loops respectively connected to said Valves, a horizontal manifold located parallel and adjacent to said valves and provided with a plurality of pipefittings oblique to the axis thereof to which the ends of said tubes are connected, said horizontal loops having a degree of exibility suited to accommodate the individual weighing of the flasks while connected thereby to said manifold.

3. In a CO2 fire extinguishing system, a row of flasks of compressed gas having flask valves normally confining the gas pressure, a manifold extending parallel to said row at substantially the level of said valves, a plurality of vertically movable tubes extending horizontally from said respective valves to said manifold, said tubes being vertically movable to an extent suited to the individual weighing of said iiasks while connected to the manifold, and vertically movable means connected to one of said valves for causing the opening thereof. Y

4. A CO2 fire-extinguishing' system comprising a fixed structure composed of uprights with one or more horizontal members supported thereon, a row of gas flasks laterally supported thereby and each flexibly connected to a common delivery conduit, said flasks being normally all positioned at a common level but being vertically movable with reference to said fixed structure to permit individual weighing of them in place, each ask having a disc-closure and carrying the rupturing means therefor, a control device adapted to be set in action in time of fire carried on said xed structure and having flexible actuating means extending therefrom into connection with said rupturing means, said control device being operative, through said flexible means, in the elevated as well as the normal positions of said flasks, the horizontal member of said xed structure being organized and adapted to support a weighing instrument adjacent any one of said flasks, whereby any of them can be weighed in place without impairing the eciency of the system.

CARLISLE y F. SMITH. 

